Page 67 of Flawless

Larisa looks at my hand, turns her nose up, and then glances at Zenon who scowls at her. Turning back to me, she pastes a fake smile on her face, accepts my hand, and says, “Danica,” with a nod but nothing else.

“May I speak with you for a moment, Zenon?” she asks, turning and expecting him to promptly follow.

“Can you give me just a minute?” Zenon asks pleadingly.

I smile, assuring him that I’m going to be okay. “Sure. I can chat with Zee Zee while I wait.”

I watch as he stalks off towards Larisa, and I see the tension all over his body.

“Forgive my mother. She doesn’t do well with anyone she surmises is the competition.”

“Competition?”

“For my Papai’s attention. Don’t get me wrong, I have never met a woman that he’s been involved with before,” she says, confirming Zenon’s earlier statement, “but I have met plenty of family friends who I could tell were interested in him, along with friends of my aunts. My mother doesn’t like anyone having his attention aside from me.”

“And his family, of course,” I add.

“Not even them,” she says, shaking her head. “They’re not even together, and she doesn’t want to be with him any more than he wants to be with her. It’s just her way.”

Zee Zee says it so matter-of-factly that I don’t question it. It amazes me how mature she sounds, and I think about what Zenon said earlier about her being different. It also makes me wonder what her mother has exposed her to.

“Well, I look forward to spending time with you and getting to know you,” I tell her.

“And me as well. We spend a lot of time in different places, but I’ve never been to the Carolinas before. I haven’t been anywhere on the East Coast except for New York and Atlanta.”

“Well, your father will have to remedy that,” I say just as someone from across the street shouts, “Nica!”

I turn in the direction of the voice only to see paparazzi coming my way. My heart slams in my chest, and tiny pinpricks of fear pop out all along my scalp and down my spine.

I glance at Zenon, where he’s in a heated discussion with Larisa.

“Come on, let’s go!” I say, grabbing Zee Zee’s hand and tugging her behind me as I beeline for the car.

“What’s going on?” she asks in fear.

“Nica! Have you just been in rehab? Where have you been hiding? Your fans are looking for you,” he says, running in our direction as I pick up speed along with Zee Zee.

I hop into the car as Zee Zee jumps into the back seat without opening the door. Belatedly, I realize that Zenon has the keys, and we’ve left the car top down.

The guy is snapping pictures, and I’m turning away from him with my head down and covering my face as much as possible.

“What’s going on?” Zee Zee asks again.

“Who’s this, Nica?” he asks.

I turn around, and as I fear, he has turned his camera on Zenon’s daughter, and he’s snapping pictures. I grab the door handle and jerk it open. I launch myself into the back seat, covering Zee Zee with my arms and shielding her as much as possible with my body.

“Get the hell away from here!” I cry out.

“We just want to know where you’ve been and if the rumors of your overdose in L.A. are true?”

Tears flow down my face as I scream at him. “Get away!”

A crowd is forming, and my vision is blurred. The next thing that I know, Zenon is there jerking the man away. He punches him in the face and throws his camera to the ground.

“Zenon!” Larisa yells from behind us, making things worse by publicly identifying him.

If she had not said his name, no one would know who he is.

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